The plant has annual capacity of about 30 million pounds, but eventually could be scaled up to reach almost 700 million pounds of production, officials said in an Oct. 31 news release.

The Oct. 25 opening was attended by U.S. Congressman Sanford Bishop Jr., whose district includes Bainbridge. “Success stories like [Meredian] will propel our nation forward and strengthen our economy for the future,” Bishop said in the release.

Meredian president and co-founder Blake Lindsey added that “our team looks forward to moving ahead with PHA production and expanding our facility in the amount of product we produce, as well as hiring additional employees as needed.”

Meredian-brand PHA is based on oils from soybeans, cottonseed or corn. The resins can be used in films, extrusion coatings, bottles and other rigid packaging. Meredian’s sister company - Danimer Scientific LLC - bought the PHA technology used by Meredian from consumer products giant Procter & Gamble Co. in 2007.